Pitt gymnastics scores well in loss

While the Pitt gymnastics team fell to No. 10 Oklahoma, there were no disappointed faces… While the Pitt gymnastics team fell to No. 10 Oklahoma, there were no disappointed faces coming out of the match. That’s because the Panthers achieved their second-highest team score of the season.

The Panthers (8-10, 4-3 East Atlantic Gymnastics League), whose team scores have been consistently rising as of late, fell to the Sooners Saturday in a dual match, 197.175-194.075. It was a season-high score for the Sooners on Senior Night.

While Oklahoma led every event, the Panthers, as head coach Debbie Yohman mentioned, had every right to be proud of their performances, scoring higher than 48 points in every event.

It was Pitt’s last regular season meet, and the team knew going into it that competing against a ranked opponent wouldn’t be easy. The Panthers also knew that the tough competition would be great preparation before the EAGL conference championship competition at Maryland starting Friday.

“They have to feel really good about themselves going into EAGLs,” Yohman said.

“They went in to Oklahoma and competed well and that’s what we set the schedule up for, to go up against this big competition towards the end and do well, and the team certainly accomplished that goal.

“We had a great meet,” Yohman added. “We did count one fall, but only one, and that’s pretty good. Obviously our goal is that we’re still trying to hit all 24 routines, but that was very nice.”

On the floor, Pitt scored a 48.925, one of its highest scores. Oklahoma’s floor score was 49.375. A number of individual Panthers also scored incredibly well. Freshman Dani Bryan scored a 9.85, tying for fourth place, and freshman Shannon McConnell scored a 9.825, tying with senior co-captain Andrea Arlotta for sixth place. The freshmen’s scores were career highs for both girls. The other senior co-captain, Jessica Garber, scored a season high 9.8. Winning the competition with a score of 9.925 was Oklahoma’s Kiara Redmond.

On the balance beam, the Panthers had to replace freshman Jess Byich at the last minute when she hurt her ankle on the floor. Another freshman, Kirsten Dahlberg, stepped up and earned a 9.7, coming in 10th place.

“She did an excellent job,” Yohman said of Dahlberg. “She went from doing a routine that didn’t count warming up as an exhibition person to getting a 9.7 in a competitive routine.”

Overall, Pitt finished with 48.175 on the beam and Oklahoma with 49.325. Junior Samantha DeBone and sophomore Anya Chayka tied for sixth place, scoring a 9.75 each. Bryan scored a 9.725 and came in eighth place. For Oklahoma, three gymnasts tied for first place with scores of 9.875

The Panthers lost, 49.125-48.25, on bars. Arlotta tied for third-place with a score of 9.8. DeBone placed eighth scoring a 9.725, and sophomore Alix Croop finished ninth with a 9.675. Oklahoma’s Redmond and Brittany Koncak-Schumann tied for first place with a score of 9.875.

The Panthers also fell to the Sooners, 49.35-48.725, on vault. Bryan scored a 9.825, tying for fifth place, and Arlotta placed eighth with a 9.725, tying McConnell again. Byich’s 9.725 gave her 10th place. Redmond and Koncak-Schumann tied again with 9.9s for first.

Two of Pitt’s gymnasts competed in the all-around competition and scored well. Arlotta finished fifth with a 38.625, and Bryan followed in sixth with a 38.525. Tying for first in the competition were, again, Redmond and Koncak-Schumann with a score of 39.55.

The Panthers are now in the middle of a full week off before beginning the EAGL championships. Bryan is looking forward to Pitt’s upcoming competition.

“I feel like we haven’t even peaked yet as a team,” she said. “We’ve done what, 10 meets? And our team score is still going up.”

Yohman said their goal is to finish in the top three.

“We just have to go in there and perform like a top-three team and let the cards fall where they may, let the teams end up where they end up,” she said.